Between September 1924 and February 1925, the team played 32 games including four test matches, one each against Ireland, England, Wales, and France, they won all 32 games, scoring 838 points and only having 116 points scored against them.

Cliff Porter was tour captain, but played only 17 of the 32 games due to injury, including just one test (against France), during the remaining games, tour vice-captain Johnstone Richardson (Jock) took over the captaincy.

1.
Ireland national rugby union team
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The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won twelve times outright, the team also competes every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions. Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions, Irelands highest ever position in the World Rugby Rankings is second, which they reached for the first time in 2015. Dublin University was the first organised football club in Ireland. The club was organised by students who had learnt the game while at public schools in Great Britain, carlow, UCC, and Ballinasloe which amalgamated with Athlone to form Buccaneers. In 1874, the Irish Football Union was formed, Ireland lost their first test match against England 7–0 at the Oval on 15 February 1875. Both teams fielded 20 players in match, as was customary in the early years of rugby union. Irelands first home game was also against England in the year held at the Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines as Lansdowne Road was deemed unsuitable. The first match at Lansdowne Road was held on 11 March 1878 and it was not until 1881 that Ireland first won a test, beating Scotland at Ormeau in Belfast. Ireland turned up two men short for their game in Cardiff in 1884 and had to borrow two Welsh players, the first victory Ireland had at Lansdowne Road took place on 5 February 1887. It was also their first win over England, by two goals to nil, on the third of March 1888, Ireland recorded their first win over Wales with a goal, a try and a drop goal to nil. In 1894, Ireland followed the Welsh model of using seven backs instead of six for the first time, after victory over England at Blackheath, Ireland won back-to-back matches for the first time when recording their first win over Scotland on 24 February 1894. Ireland went on to beat Wales in Belfast and win the Triple Crown for the first time, in the 1890s, Rugby was primarily a game for the Protestant middle class, the only Catholic in Edmund Forrests 1894 team was Tom Crean. Of the eighteen players used in the three games, thirteen were from three Dublin clubs – Wanderers, Dublin University and Bective Rangers – and the five were from Ulster. Such was the level of interest in the visit of the first All Blacks team to Dublin in November 1905 that the IRFU made the match the first all-ticket rugby international in history, Ireland played only seven forwards, copying the then New Zealand method of playing a rover. The game ended New Zealand 15 Ireland 0, on 20 March 1909, Ireland played France for the first time, beating them 19–8. This was Irelands biggest victory in international rugby at that time, their highest points tally,30 November 1912 was the first time the Springboks met Ireland at Lansdowne Road, the 1906 tour game having been played at Ravenhill. Ireland with seven new caps were overwhelmed by a margin of 38–0

2.
Wales national rugby union team
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The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy, Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 26 times outright. Wales most recent championship win came in 2013, the governing body, the Welsh Rugby Union, was established in 1881, the same year that Wales played their first international against England. Wales performances in the Home Nations Championship continued to improve, experiencing their first golden age between 1900 and 1911 and they first played New Zealand, known as the All Blacks, in 1905, when they defeated them 3–0 in a famous match at Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh rugby struggled between the two World Wars, but experienced a golden age between 1969 and 1980 when they won eight Five Nations Championships. Wales played in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 where they achieved their best ever result of third, following the sport allowing professionalism in 1995, Wales hosted the 1999 World Cup and, in 2005, won their first Six Nations Grand Slam. That was the first Grand Slam won by a team playing most of the matches away from home, Wales won two more Grand Slams in 2008 and in 2012, and in 2011 came fourth in the Rugby World Cup. Their home ground is the Millennium Stadium, currently known for reasons as Principality Stadium. Eight former Welsh players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby union took root in Wales in 1850, when Reverend Rowland Williams became Vice-Principal at St Davids College, Lampeter, where he introduced the sport. Wales played their first international on 19 February 1881, organised by Newports Richard Mullock, Wales played against England, losing by seven goals, one drop goal, on 12 March 1881, the Welsh Rugby Union was formed at The Castle Hotel, Neath. Two years later, the Home Nation Championship – now the Six Nations Championship – was first played, however, rugby in Wales developed and, by the 1890s, the Welsh had developed the four three-quarters formation. This formation – with seven backs and eight forwards, instead of six backs and nine forwards – revolutionised the sport and was adopted almost universally at international. With the four three-quarter formation Wales became Home International Champions for the first time in 1893, Wales next won the Championship in 1900, heralding the first golden age of Welsh rugby which was to last until 1911. They won two more Triple Crowns in 1902 and 1905, and were runners up in 1901,1903 and 1904, when Wales faced New Zealands All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in late 1905 they had not lost at home since 1899. The referee ruled a scrum to Wales and the score did not change, the loss was the All Blacks only loss on their 35-match tour. In 1906, Wales again won the Home Championship, and later that played the South African national side. Wales were favourites to win the match, but instead South Africa dominated in the forwards, two years later, on 12 December 1908, Wales played the touring Australians, the Wallabies, who they defeated 9–6. In 1909, Wales won the Home Championship and then, in 1910 – with the inclusion of France – the first Five Nations and it would be nearly forty years before they achieved a Grand Slam again

3.
England national rugby union team
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The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and they are ranked second in the world by the International Rugby Board as of 20 June 2016. England were the first, and to date, the team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup. They were also runners-up in 1991 and 2007, the history of the team extends back to 1871 when the English rugby team played their first official Test match, losing to Scotland by one goal. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship which started in 1883, following the schism of rugby football in 1895, England did not win the Championship again until 1910. England first played against New Zealand in 1905, South Africa in 1906, England was one of the teams invited to take part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and went on to appear in the final in the second tournament in 1991, losing 12–6 to Australia. Following their 2003 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam, they went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup – defeating Australia 20–17 in extra time and they again contested the final in 2007, losing 15–6 to South Africa. England players traditionally wear a shirt with a Rose embroidered on the chest, white shorts. Their home ground is Twickenham Stadium where they first played in 1910, the team is administered by the Rugby Football Union. Four former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, Englands first international match was against Scotland on Monday 27 March 1871. Not only was this match Englands first, but it proved to be the first ever rugby union international. Scotland won the match by a goal and a try to a try, in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London on 5 February 1872 which saw England defeat Scotland by a goal, in those early days there was no points system, it was only after 1890 that a format allowing the introduction of a points system was provided. Up until 1875 international rugby matches were decided by the number of goals scored, in 1875, England played their first game against the Irish at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil, the match was Irelands first ever Test. England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup and their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardsons Field in Blackheath. England recorded their largest victory, defeating the Welsh by seven goals, six tries, in 1889, England played their first match against a non-home nations team when they defeated the New Zealand Natives by one goal and four tries to nil at Rectory Field in Blackheath. In 1890 England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland, England first played New Zealand in 1905. The All Blacks scored five tries, worth three points at this time, to win 15–0, England first played France in 1905, and Australia in 1909 when they were defeated 9–3

4.
France national rugby union team
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The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and they have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams. Eight former French players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Years Day 1906 the national side played its first Test match – against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament in 1910, France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. The national team came of age during the 1950s and 1960s and they won their first Grand Slam in 1968. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the stage of every tournament. They have reached the three times, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 and 2011 and to Australia in 1999. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where, as in 2003, France traditionally play in blue shirts with white shorts and red socks, and are commonly referred to as les tricolores or les bleus. The French emblem is a golden rooster imposed upon a red shield and their alternative strip is composed of a white shirt and navy blue shorts and socks. Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by English merchants and students, on 26 February 1890, a French rugby team recruited from the Janson Desailly Lyceum defeated an international team at the Bois de Boulogne. Although France were represented at the 1900 Summer Olympics, their first official test match did not take place till New Years Day,1906 against the New Zealand All Blacks in Paris. France then played intermittently against the Home Nations until they joined them to form the Five Nations tournament in 1910, in 1913 France faced South Africas Springboks for the first time, losing 38–5. France also competed at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, France were ejected from the Five Nations in 1932 after being accused of professionalism in the French leagues at a time when rugby union was strictly amateur. Forced to play against weaker opposition, France went on a winning streak, France was invited to rejoin the Five Nations in 1939 but did not compete until 1947 as international rugby was suspended during World War II. French rugby came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, they won their first Five Nations championship and their first championship was won in 1954 when they shared the title with England and Wales. France won their first outright Five Nations championship in 1959, they won with two wins, a draw and a defeat, France first toured South Africa winning the test series in 1958. The Springboks also visited Paris in 1961, the test was not completed due to fighting amongst the players. France also toured New Zealand and Australia in 1961 losing both tests against the All Blacks but defeating Australias Wallabies and they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968 by beating all four other competing teams, and won numerous titles in the following years

5.
Rugby union
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Rugby union, known in some parts of the world simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using a ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts on each try line. Historically an amateur sport, in 1995 restrictions on payments to players were removed, World Rugby, originally the International Rugby Football Board and from 1998 to 2014 the International Rugby Board, has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886. Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of Great Britain and Ireland, early exponents of the sport included Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France. Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji, Georgia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Rugby union is played in over 100 countries across six continents, there are 101 full members and 18 associate members of World Rugby. The Rugby World Cup, first held in 1987, takes place four years with the winner of the tournament receiving the Webb Ellis Cup. The Six Nations Championship in Europe and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are major annual competitions. The origin of football is reputed to be an incident during a game of English school football at Rugby School in 1823. Although the evidence for the story is doubtful, it was immortalised at the school with a plaque unveiled in 1895, despite the doubtful evidence, the Rugby World Cup trophy is named after Webb Ellis. Rugby football stems from the form of game played at Rugby School, Old Rugbeian Albert Pell, a student at Cambridge, is credited with having formed the first football team. During this early period different schools used different rules, with pupils from Rugby. Other important events include the Blackheath Clubs decision to leave the Football Association in 1863, despite the sports full name of rugby union, it is known simply as rugby throughout most of the world. The first rugby football international was played on 27 March 1871 between Scotland and England, by 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams, and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first rugby tournament, the Melrose Sevens. During the early history of union, a time before commercial air travel. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888—the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia, followed by the New Zealand team touring Europe, All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in, the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event, in 1905 France played England in its first international match

6.
George Nepia
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George Nepia was a New Zealand Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players and he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealands Top 100 History Makers television show, Nepia was featured in a set of postage stamps from the New Zealand post office in 1990. Historian Philippa Mein Smith described him as New Zealand rugbys first superstar, Nepia was born in Wairoa in Hawkes Bay. While his birth certificate stated that Nepia was born 1905 he later claimed he had born in 1908. After finishing primary school in Nuhaka, Nepia was to attend Te Aute College, in 1926 Nepia married Huinga Kohere. They had four children, three sons and a daughter, Nepia and his family settled on a dairy farm on the East Coast. Nepia was selected for the Hawkes Bay provincial rugby team in 1922, at that time Hawkes Bay had one of the strongest teams in New Zealand and held the Ranfurly Shield. Nepia initially played on the wing but was shifted to second-five eighth. In 1924 Nepia was selected as a full-back for the All Blacks tour to the United Kingdom, Nepia was one of the stars of the tour. He played in all 32 games – being the player to do so. As the team did not lose any matches, they came to be known as The Invincibles, Nepia was a fine full-back, with a safe pair of hands, a strong kicking game and a fierce tackle. Before games on the tour, he led the performance of a haka which had been composed for the tour. Nepia was omitted from the 1928 All Blacks tour of South Africa, Nepia returned to the All Blacks for tours to Australia in 1929 and against the British Lions in New Zealand in 1930. These were his last games for the All Blacks, in 1935 Nepia went to England to play rugby league professionally being signed initially by Streatham and Mitcham Rugby League Club in London for £500. His family remained in New Zealand, because rugby union was a strictly amateur game at the time, Nepia was cast out from rugby union. In 1937 he returned to New Zealand and played league for Manukau and played for the New Zealand Māori, during July and August 1937 Nepia traveled to the South Island, representing both Hornby and Canterbury. In 1947 the New Zealand rugby union held an amnesty allowing former players to return to rugby union

7.
Cyril Brownlie
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Cyril Brownlie was a New Zealand rugby union player. He was educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland, along with his brothers Maurice and Laurence he represented the country during the 1920s. Cyril Brownlie played 31 matches for the All Blacks, scoring 11 tries and these matches included three tests during The Invincibles tour of 1924–25. During the England-New Zealand test in 1924, Cyril was sent off by the Welsh referee Albert Freethy, Brownlie represented Hawkes Bay at a provincial level, playing as a loose forward

8.
Maurice Brownlie
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Maurice Joseph Brownlie was an international New Zealand rugby union player. A loose forward, Brownlie represented Hawkes Bay at a level, and was a member of the New Zealand national team. He played 61 matches for New Zealand—a record for All Black appearances that stood until surpassed by Kevin Skinner in 1956–and scored 21 tries and he captained the All Blacks on 19 occasions, including for the 1928 tour of South Africa. Brownlie was a member of The Invincibles during their European tour of 1924–25, on that tour, his brother Cyril became the first man to be sent off in a Test match. Their older brother Laurie also made an appearance for the All Blacks, All three brothers represented Hawkes Bay and played as loose forwards. Brownlie gave service during both world wars, from 1915 to 1919 he served in the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, including two and a half years in the Middle East, and reached the rank of corporal. During the Second World War he served in No.4 Squadron, Independent Mounted Rifles, part of the Home Guard, Brownlie died in Gisborne on 21 January 1957, and was buried at Taruheru Cemetery. He has been inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame twice, as a member of The Invincibles, a Rugby Memory, of Maurice Brownlie - with a modern update. McLintock, A. H. ed. Brownlie, Maurice Joseph

9.
Rugby union in Cornwall
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Rugby union in Cornwall is one of the countys most popular sports and has a large following in Cornwall. The followers of the county side are dubbed Trelawnys Army, in 1991 and 1999 Cornwall made the County Championships finals, played at Twickenham Stadium, with Cornwall beating first Yorkshire and in 1999 Gloucestershire to win the cup. Also, the Cornish rugby team can boast an Olympic silver medal, in 1908, they won the County Championship for the first time, and the prize was to represent Great Britain at rugby in the 1908 Olympic Games. They lost to Australia 32-3 in the final, and remain the county side to represent Great Britain at rugby in the Olympics. The Cornwall Rugby Football Union was formed in 1883 and it is a union of 39 rugby union clubs which includes most rugby union clubs in Cornwall, the open-age Cornwall representative side and representative teams at various age groups. The CRFU are members of the Rugby Football Union, the body for rugby union in England. The CRFU organizes three annual knockout cup competitions - the Cornwall Super Cup, Cornwall Cup and Cornwall Clubs Cup, all cups are currently sponsored by Tribute Ales. The Cornish rugby tradition has deep roots, stretching back before the game was even codified, a form of folk football, known as Cornish hurling was highly popular there, and is still played in two towns in Cornwall. It is possible that the popularity of this game paved the way for the rugby code. Their rugby jerseys with gold and black hoops were introduced in 1885, One of the most important times of the year in a Cornish rugby fans calendar is the County Championship. Like the 1900 games, three teams entered, Australasia, France, and Great Britain, France pulled themselves from the event prior to the commencement of the tournament, being unable to field a representative team. Cornwall won the championship for the first time in 1908, when played in front of 17,000 fans at Redruth. The game was against Durham, also known for its mining, Cornwall won the game 17-3, scoring 5 tries. The added incentive for the winner was the chance to represent Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics, Two other countries entered the 1908 Summer Olympics, France and Australasia, the name of a combined team from Australia and New Zealand. France withdrew before the tournament which left Great Britain playing Australasia, the final score was 32-3 to Australasia with Bert Solomon managing to score a try for Great Britain. Australasias team, the Wallabies, was already on tour in Britain, Great Britain was therefore represented by the Cornwall county team, who were chosen by the RFU as an appropriate side after they defeated Durham in the 1907 English county championship. As expected, Australasia defeated Great Britain, claiming the gold medal, the match at the White City Stadium was played under poor conditions, in fog and with a slippery field. Cornwall reached the Championship final again in 1909,1928,1958,1969 and 1989 but had to wait until 1991 before re-claiming the trophy

10.
Weston-super-Mare
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Weston-super-Mare /ˈwɛstən ˌsuːpər ˈmɛər/ is a town in Somerset, England, on the Bristol Channel 18 miles south west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Oldmixon, West Wick and Worle and its population at the 2011 census was 76,143. Since 1983, Weston has been twinned with Hildesheim, Germany, the growth continued until the second half of the 20th century, when tourism declined and some local industries closed. A regeneration programme is being undertaken with attractions including the Helicopter Museum, Weston-super-Mare Museum, Grand Pier, the Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral offer day sea trips from Knightstone Island to various destinations along the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Cultural venues include The Playhouse, the Winter Gardens and Blakehay Theatre, owing to the large tidal range in the Bristol Channel, the low tide mark in Weston Bay is about 1 mile from the seafront. Although the beach itself is sandy, low tide uncovers areas of mud, hence the colloquial name. These mudflats are very dangerous to walk in and are crossed by the mouth of the River Axe, just to the north of the town is Sand Point which marks the lower limit of the Severn Estuary and the start of the Bristol Channel. It is also the site of the Middle Hope biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, in the centre of the town is Ellenborough Park, another SSSI due to the range of plant species found there. Weston comes from the Anglo-Saxon for the west tun or settlement, prior to 1348 it was known as Weston-juxta-Mare. The name was changed by Ralph of Shrewsbury, who was the Bishop of Bath, Westons oldest structure is Worlebury Camp, on Worlebury Hill, dating from the Iron Age. Castle Batch was a castle once stood overlooking the town. The present site has a mound of 160 feet in diameter which is believed to be the remains of a motte. The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred, the medieval church of St John was demolished in 1824 and built anew on the same site, though a stump of the Medieval preaching cross survives by the exterior south wall. The former rectory is a 17th-century structure with later additions, though it remains adjacent to the church it has not been a parsonage house since the end of the 19th century. Today it is known as Glebe House and is divided into flats, the Old Thatched Cottage restaurant on the seafront carries the date 1774, it is the surviving portion of a summer cottage built by the Revd. The Pigott family of Brockley, who were the local Lords of the Manor, had a residence at Grove House. Weston owes its growth and prosperity to the Victorian era boom in seaside holidays, construction of the first hotel in the village started in 1808, it was called Reeves. Along with nearby Burnham-on-Sea, Weston benefited from proximity to Bristol, the first attempt at an artificial harbour was made in the late 1820s at the islet of Knightstone and a slipway built from Anchor Head towards Birnbeck Island

11.
Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union
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The Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Gloucestershire, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union. Formed in 1878, it has won the county championship on numerous occasions, the Union was formed at a meeting held at Gloucester in September,1878. At that meeting, the clubs represented were Clifton RFC, Gloucester RFC, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester RFC, Rockleage, Stroud, and Cheltenham White Cross. The Union was formed due to the efforts of J. D. Miller, J. H. Dunn. All of whom were amongst the Unions first officers, for many years, the playing strength depended almost entirely on the Clifton and Gloucester Clubs. In the first five seasons the Union side only lost two of seventeen fixtures in Inter-County matches, the RFU recognised its success by electing in 1880 J. D. Miller to represent the West of England on the central executive. Ironically, the side then went through a period in which they had a very poor record. From 1883 to 1889 the team played only 10 times and of these 6 were lost,3 drawn and it was noted that the fortunes of the county side mirrored the success of the Gloucester City club side. When the Gloucester City side revived in the early 1890s, so to did the County, in the first year of the County Championship Gloucestershire were the winners in the South-Western group, but when they entered the second phase, they were crushed by Lancashire. From 1984 all Championship finals were played at Twickenham, many notable players have represented the county. British and Irish Lions John Gordon ABear Mike Teague Mike Burton England internationals J. A. Bush W.0, moberly H. C. Baker Wales internationals S. H. Nicholls W. Watts G. Rowles Scotland internationals H. L. Evans H. F. In its early days, only Gloucester City was rated as a first class side, since then, the fortunes of the constituent clubs has varied enormously

12.
Kingsholm Stadium
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Kingsholm Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Kingsholm area of Gloucester, England, and is the home stadium of Gloucester Rugby. The stadium has a capacity of 16,115 and it is sometimes nicknamed Castle Grim after the estate where the stadium is built. The new main grandstand, opened in 2007, is an all seated 7,500 capacity stand along the south touchline and it is currently sponsored by Mira Showers. Kingsholm was used as a stadium for England before they settled at Twickenham. In common with many grounds of English professional Rugby Union clubs, the North Stand is such an area and is known colloquially as The Shed. It runs down the length of the pitch and holds around 3,000 people. The Shed is known within Rugby Union for its proximity to the pitch, the West Stand terrace holds around 1,615 spectators and has a row of hospitality boxes located above. It is sponsored by Stowford press, the East Stand is an all seater stand located directly on Kingsholm Road. It is sponsored by JS Facilities Group, a proposal by the then Gloucester Football Club to acquire the grounds where Kingsholm Stadium is built was first put together in July 1891. The purchase was made and the first match took place in October 1891, a pavilion was built in 1892, initially with seating capacity for 424 spectators. A wooden stand was added in 1923, in September 1933, a fire destroyed this stand, a larger replacement was completed before the end of the year in its place. The original pavilion was demolished in 1934 and, in its place, was built the stand that is known as The Shed. In May 2008, the Barbarian F. C. and Ireland national rugby team played a match at Kingsholm. Kingsholm was also one of the venues for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup where, on 29 October, the New Zealand team included future rugby union converts and Gloucester Rugby players, Henry Paul and Lesley Vainikolo. Kingsholm regularly hosts pop concerts, generally when the season has ended, the stadium has hosted acts ranging from Tom Jones, Mc Fly, Ronan Keating and The Wanted. In 2015 it hosted Madness and Elton John and in 2016 Jess Glynne, Kingsholm Stadium hosted several football matches for Gloucester City A. F. C. in the 1910s. In October 2003, Gloucester Rugby launched Project Kingsholm, the idea was to be similar to the development at Franklins Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, although on a bigger scale, incorporating both seating and terracing. Despite the KSM meeting the targets, Gloucester Rugby abandoned all plans

13.
Swansea RFC
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Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premiership. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea, the team is also known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip. The club is a club to the Ospreys. The club was founded in 1872 and, in 1881 it became one of the founder clubs of the Welsh Rugby Union. In the early twentieth century Swansea RFC was a successful club. For four consecutive seasons Swansea were the unofficial Welsh champions from the 1898/99 season through to 1901/02, under the captaincy of Frank Gordon the team would later go on a 22-month unbeaten run, from December 1903 through to October 1905. During this period Swansea appeared to be under-represented at international level, the immediate post war years brought only limited success, although a notable 6-6 draw was achieved against New Zealand in 1953 followed by a 9-8 victory against Australia in 1966. It was not until the centenary season in 1973/74, however. Swansea achieved further success as club champions in 1979/80, 1980/81, the 1990s saw success for the club, including being league champions on 4 occasions and Welsh cup winners in 1995 and 1999. A memorable 21-6 victory was recorded over then World champions Australia at St Helens on 4 November 1992, in season 1995/96 Swansea reached the semi-final stage of the European Cup. The 2003/04 season has seen a significant change with the introduction of rugby in Wales. Swansea Rugby Football Club Ltd, alongside Neath RFC are co-owners of the Ospreys, as a result, Swansea RFC returned to being an amateur team. In their first season Swansea missed out on promotion back to the Premiership, Swansea RFC defeated New Zealand 11-3 on Saturday 28 September 1935, becoming the first ever club side to beat the All Blacks. In November 1992, Swansea RFC defeated world champions Australia 21-6, players may hold more than one non-WR nationality. The following former players were selected for the British and Irish Lions touring squads whilst playing for Swansea RFC, the following former players captained the Wales national rugby union team whilst playing for Swansea RFC. See also Wales rugby union captains The players listed below have played for Swansea and have played international rugby. Fields of Praise, The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union, Swansea RFC/The Whites Ospreys Official Website Welsh Rugby Union

14.
St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground
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St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground is a sports venue in Swansea, Wales, owned and operated by the City and County of Swansea Council. Used mainly for rugby union and cricket, it has been the ground of Swansea RFC. In rugby union, St Helens was the venue for the first ever match of the Wales national team in 1882. It continued to be used regularly by Wales, often for the Five Nations Championship, until 1954, more recently, the ground has been used by the Wales womens team. Glamorgan County Cricket Club have regularly used St Helens as an outground since 1921, the ground has staged two One Day Internationals, England against New Zealand in 1973, and a 1983 World Cup match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. St Helens has also staged international matches in two other sports, in rugby league, Wales played thirteen matches at the ground between 1945 and 1978, two of which were part of the 1975 World Cup tournament. A football international between Wales and Ireland took place at St Helens in 1894, since the ground opened in 1873 it has been the home of the Swansea Rugby Football Club, and the Swansea Cricket Club. In 2005, the venue could hold an audience of 10,500 seated before it was re-developed, the famous east stand, which had provided cloisters over part of Oystermouth Road, has since been demolished and replaced with a metallic stand unloved by locals. The tallest flood light stand in Europe is in St. Helens Ground and this was to accommodate a new car park with 39 spaces for the Patti Pavilion. The first home international in the history of Welsh rugby was played at St Helens on 16 December 1882, the ground was the scene of New Zealands first victory over Wales in 1924. On 10 April 1954, St. Helens staged its last international until a Test match between Wales and Tonga was also played at the ground in 1997. Swansea Corporation discussed raising the capacity to 70,000 or even 82,000, however, the ground has been used to host three Welsh womens internationals. The first womens international at Swansea was in April 1999 against England, Swansea RFC defeated New Zealand 11-3 at St Helens on 28 September 1935, becoming the first club side to beat the All Blacks. Swansea also defeated world champions Australia 21-6 in November 1992, when Australia played their first match of their Welsh Tour, between 1919 and 1952, St Helens was also the home of Swansea Uplands RFC until the club sought its new home in Upper Killay. During the 1975 Rugby League World Cup, Australia defeated Wales 18-6 in front of 11,112 fans, the two sides again played at Swansea as part of the 1978 Kangaroo tour with the Kangaroos winning 8-3 before a crowd of 4,250. List of international rugby matches played at St Helens. List of Wales International football matches played at St Helens and it was in this ground in 1968 that Sir Garfield Sobers hit the first six sixes in one over in First-Class cricket. Sobers was playing as captain of Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan, Wales Minor Counties Cricket Club, who have played minor counties cricket since 1988, use the ground as a home base

15.
Newport RFC
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Newport Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They presently play in the Welsh Premier Division, Newport RFC are based at Rodney Parade situated on the east bank of the River Usk. Due to the regionalisation of Welsh rugby in 2003 Newport RFC is now a club to Newport Gwent Dragons regional team. Newport supplied over 150 players to the Wales national team and international players to England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Czech Republic, Canada, Newport’s early success was remarkable, winning every single match in their first four seasons between 1875 and 1879. They were also successful in other tournaments winning the first two South Wales Cup competitions, the club’s strength was reflected at international level, providing more players to the Welsh national team than any other club in the nineteenth century, including four captains. In 1881 Newport was one of the clubs present at the forming of the Welsh Rugby Football Union. Their dominance led Newport’s club secretary, Richard Mulloch to arrange a match against the English domestic champions Blackheath Rugby Club, with a record attendance of 5,000 spectators Newport were out-classed by their opponents, losing four goals and eight tries to nil. However, Newport had played two games in the five days and Blackheath brought in outside players to bolster their squad. In October 1879 Newport played Cardiff RFC in a game at Rodney Parade. In 1887, Newport player Charlie Newman was given the captaincy of the Welsh national team, in 1887 Newport player Tom Clapp was given the Wales captaincy and in 1888 he led the first Welsh side to beat Scotland, a team that included Newport players Powell and Gould. During the 1891–92 season, under captain Tom Graham Newport went unbeaten, winning 29 games, Graham brought a new professional attitude to the team, introducing weekly gym training and an avoidance of alcohol. In 1912 Newport hosted the touring South Africa national team, invincible in 1922–23 Welsh Club Champions 1920,1923. Provided 5 Welsh,1 English and 1 Irish captains, golden era of Wetter, Uzzell, Griffiths, Morley, Bunner Travers etc. Golden era of Jones, Burnett, Thomas, Meredith, Price, Watkins, beat Australia 1957, NZ1963, SA1969, Tonga 1974. Welsh Club Champions 1951,1956,1962,1969, won Welsh Merit Table and Anglo-Welsh Merit Table. Provided 7 Welsh,1 Czech Rep,2 Canadian,1 Fijian captains, introduced 7’s to Wales and won Snellings 10 times and R/U9 times. One of pioneers of floodlights in Wales, introduced squad systems / players playing on rota in Wales. Won Welsh Cup twice, R/U3 times, Welsh Premier League winners and R/U – twice

16.
Rodney Parade
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Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is operated by Rodney Parade Limited, a wholly owned by Newport Rugby Football Club. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre, the ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the citys central bus and railway stations via Newport Bridge or Newport City footbridge. There is no car park at the ground but a number of multi-storey car parks are nearby. Rodney Parade is the ground of rugby union clubs Newport RFC. It is also the ground of Newport County football club. However, stadium capacity is reduced for football matches, Newport Squash Club has four courts at Rodney Parade. Rodney Parade has two covered stands, the two-tier Hazell Stand and the Bisley Stand which are along the touchlines of the pitch, the upper tier of the west stand is seated with 1,996 seats, including 40 Press seats and the lower tier is a standing terrace. The east stand is all-seated with a 2,526 capacity including 144 seats in 13 hospitality boxes, food/drink outlets, the cameras are therefore pointing westward and often show the sun setting over Newport city centre. The North Terrace is uncovered standing and adjoins the uncovered standing terrace on the west touchline alongside the west stand, the south end of the stadium houses players changing rooms, a media centre and the small uncovered Sytner stand with 222 seats for away football fans. Away football fans are also sited in block F of the east stand giving a capacity of 1,300 for away football fans. A large video screen was erected at the end in December 2013. The hospitality suite is located in the end of the east stand on the upper level. The rugby ticket office and club shop is located at the end of the East Stand next to Gate 4 accessed via the main gates to the grounds off Grafton Road. The Newport County ticket office and club shop is a building just inside the main gate to the ground. To the north of the North Terrace is a floodlit training area. Further north, parallel to Grafton Road, is the Rodney Hall function room, in 1875 the Newport Athletic Club was created, and two years later they secured the use of land at Rodney Parade from Lord Tredegar for their cricket, tennis, rugby and athletics teams. Monmouthshire County Cricket Club played at Rodney Parade from 1901 to 1934, Newport rugby club enjoyed six highly successful seasons, having been unbeaten for six consecutive seasons

17.
Leicester Tigers
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Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club based in Leicester, England that plays in the English Premiership. Leicester have also appeared in a record nine successive Premiership finals, the Tigers have never finished a league season below 6th position, and are one of only four teams never to have been relegated from the top division. The clubs first game was a draw on 23 October against Moseley at the Belgrave Road Cycle. That first season Tigers play a local fixture list against the likes of Northampton, Nuneaton, Rushden, Kettering, Market Harborough, in 1881 the club joined the Midlands Counties Football Association enabling them to enter the Midlands Counties Cup the next season. Tigers first ever cup game was a loss to Edgbaston Crusaders. This inauspicious start to the cup continued with losses to Moseley in each of the three seasons. In 1888 Tigers fixture list started to expand outside the midlands, the 1888-89 season saw Tigers welcome back Manningham as well as Oldham and Swinton, Cardiff Harlequins became the clubs first Welsh opponents. Leicester also reached their first Midland Counties Cup Final that year losing, again, 1889-90 saw Tigers travel to Wales for the first time playing Cardiff and Newport on consecutive days, the Monday and Tuesday of Easter week. Gloucester were added to the fixture list in 1891-92, whilst on 13 February Tigers played in London for the first time, on 10 September 1892 Leicester played their first game at their present ground, Welford Road, against a Leicestershire XV. That season saw derby matches produce attendances up to 7,000 whilst 10,000 saw Leicester lose 12-0 to Coventry in the round of the Midlands Counties Cup. Tom Crumbie was appointed secretary on 2 August 1895, a position he held for the next 33 years. Crumbie has been credited with dragging the club to prominence, he disbanded reserve and third teams making the First XV an invitation side. During his tenure 26 players from the club became capped at international level, Jones was forced to miss the final on medical grounds but Tigers still took home the cup for the first time winning 5-3. The only score coming from Percy Oscroft after only 3 minutes, in the final Nuneaton were beaten 20-3. For the next three seasons Leicester had the better of Moseley beating them in the each year, before seeing off Rugby in the final of 1903. Moseley were defeated again in 1904, Nottingham beaten 31-0 in 1905, having won the Midlands Counties Cup every year from 1898 to 1905, they dropped out to give other teams a chance. In 1903 Jack Miles became the first home produced England international and he had come to prominence scoring 43 tries in 52 appearances. In 1908 the club had three players selected for the 1908 Anglo-Welsh tour of New Zealand, John Jackett, Tom Smith and Fred Jackson became the first Tigers selected for an overseas tour

18.
Welford Road Stadium
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Welford Road is a rugby union stadium in Leicester, England, and is the home ground for Leicester Tigers. The ground was opened on 10 September 1892 and is located between Aylestone Road and Welford Road on the edge of the city centre. The stadium has a capacity of 25,849, making it the largest purpose-built club rugby ground in England. It hosted five full England national team matches between 1902 and 1923, and staged a single match at each of the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups, the lease was signed in March 1892 and £1,100 was spent leveling, draining and preparing the ground. The ground was opened on 10 September 1892 when Leicester played the first game at the ground against a Leicestershire XV, the Members & Crumbie Stands were built just before and just after the First World War respectively. The east side of the ground was developed in 1995, originally terracing on an ash bank it became an all seater modern stand, initially called the Alliance and Leicester Stand it is currently known as the Mattioli Woods Stand. The total ground capacity is currently 25,849 after the stand was redeveloped in 2008. The newly opened West Stand is a new all seating stand replacing the original 1909 clubhouse, costing £6. 7m the new stand has 2,917 spaces for general admittance &190 executive seats. Replacing a temporary stand housing 992 places it has brought the capacity of the stadium to 25,849, the stand is currently known as the Robin Hood Stand due to a sponsorship agreement with Nottingham Building Society. Before redevelopment of Welford Road began in 2008 Leicester Tigers explored many other options, if the purchase had gone through, the Tigers would have surrendered their lease on Welford Road and moved into Walkers Stadium. However, after months of talks, the two clubs could not agree as to which side would have priority at Walkers Stadium. Leicester purchased the freehold to the ground and adjacent land in 2006 prior to this the club operated on a long term 99 year rolling lease from the city council, on 20 February 2008 Leicester Tigers received planning consent for the £60million redevelopment of their Welford Road home. The first phase of the development would include space for 10,000 supporters in a new North Stand, after full renovation it will have a capacity of above 30,000. The work was completed for the first home game of the 2009-10 season against Newcastle Falcons, the stand has room for 10,000 spectators along with a 1,000 seat hospitality suite. On the ground floor is the Final Whistle bar where no ticket is required for entry, an official opening ceremony took place on 6 November 2009 when Tigers beat world champions South Africa. The first development on the side of the ground was a 3,000 seat pavilion moved from the Belgrave Road Cycle and Cricket Ground in 1892. This stand was moved to the side of the ground in 1899. In 1913 work began to replace this stand with the New Members Stand seating 4,000, with the First World War intervening it was not opened until 1918

19.
Villa Park
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Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897, the ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations and has hosted sixteen England internationals at senior level, the first in 1899 and the most recent in 2005. It was the first English ground to stage international football in three different centuries, Villa Park has hosted more FA Cup semi-finals than any other stadium, having hosted 55 matches in total. In 1897, Aston Villa moved into the Aston Lower Grounds, a ground in a Victorian amusement park in the former grounds of Aston Hall. The stadium has gone through stages of renovation and development, resulting in the current stand configuration of the Holte End, Trinity Road Stand, North Stand. The club has planning permission to redevelop the North Stand. Before 1914, a track ran around the perimeter of the pitch where regular cycling meetings were hosted as well as athletic events. Aside from football-related uses, the stadium has seen various concerts staged along with sporting events including boxing matches and international rugby league. In 1999, the last ever final of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup took place at Villa Park, Villa Park also hosted the 2012 FA Community Shield, as Wembley Stadium was unavailable due to it staging the final of the Olympic football tournament. The Aston Lower Grounds, later renamed Villa Park, was not the first home of Aston Villa F. C and their previous venue, Wellington Road faced increasing problems including an uneven pitch, poor spectator facilities, a lack of access and exorbitant rents. As a result, in 1894, Villas committee began negotiations with the owners of the Aston Lower Grounds, situated in the former grounds of Aston Hall, a Jacobean stately home, the Lower Grounds had seen varied uses over the years. The current pitch stands on the site of the Dovehouse Pool, the committee immediately engaged an architect who began preparing plans for the site, which included construction of a new 440 yards cement cycle track to replace the existing cinder one. The main stand was to be built to the east on the Witton Lane side, with the track, construction of the final phase of the stadium began in the winter of 1896 following negotiations with contractors over the price. Several months behind schedule, the stadium finally opened on 17 April 1897. The process of fixing issues with the work would continue for a number of months thereafter. As built, the stadium could house 40,000 spectators, the first match at the ground, a friendly against Blackburn Rovers, took place on 17 April 1897, one week after Aston Villa had completed the League and FA Cup Double. After winning the championship in 1899, Villas record-breaking average crowd of 21,000 allowed the club to invest in a two-stage ground improvement programme. In 1911, Villa bought the freehold of the ground for £8,250, the buildings in the old aquarium and car park area for £1,500

20.
Birkenhead Park
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Birkenhead Park is a public park in the centre of Birkenhead, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847 and it is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world. Paxton had earlier designed Princes Park, Liverpool, a private development, in 1841 an Improvement Commission – part of Birkenheads local government – proposed the idea of a municipal park. A Private Act of Parliament allowed it to use money to buy 226 acres of marshy grazing land on the western edge of Birkenhead. Plots of land on the edge of the park were then sold off in order to finance its construction. The Improvement Commission chose Paxton to design the park and Edward Kemp as the works supervisor because both had worked on redesigning the gardens at Chatsworth House. The park, which five years to build, was designed to be natural and informal rather than a structured neatly arranged urban garden. Several miles of pipes were lain to remove the water from the marshy land. The park also led to the diversion of Old Bidston Road, during construction, hundreds of tonnes of stone and earth was moved to create well-drained terraces, hills, rockeries and lakes. Paxton planted numerous trees and shrubs at various places so visitors would enjoy the surprise of unexpected views or hidden features as they wandered through the park, buildings included the Swiss Bridge, Boathouse, Norman Lodges, Gothic Lodge, Castellated Lodge and Italian Lodge. The Grand Entrance, which is one of several into the park, was built to look like a triumphal arch. As many as 10,000 people attended the opening in 1847. During the First World War, part of the park was used as a ground by the 3rd Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment. Recruits stayed at the Birkenhead Barracks on Grange Road West, conscientious objectors were sent to the 3rd Cheshires because the battalion had a tough reputation. The family of a trade unionist and conchie, George Beardsworth, watched as he was repeatedly beaten. Although his treatment at Birkenhead led to questions in Parliament and a case against the officers and men involved. In 1917 the National Eisteddfod of Wales, which was attended by Prime Minister David Lloyd George, was held within the park, the park had already paid host to the event in 1878 and 1879. During the Second World War the area was damaged by bombs, the park became run down and neglected towards the end of the part of the 20th century

21.
Roker Park
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Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A. F. C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small part of the stadium being seated. The stadiums capacity had been higher in previous years, attracting a crowd of 75,118. In the 1890s, the then Sunderland chairman and his brother decided to build a ground for the club. The club had negotiated to buy farmland that belonged to a Mr. Tennant, until this house was built, Sunderland still had to pay rent on the land. Within a year of the land being bought, Roker Park had been built, the Clock Stand had 32 steps, no seats and a crush barrier for safety. The turf was brought from Ireland, and lasted for 38 years, the pitch was designed to have a slight drop of about one foot from the centre of the pitch to each corner to help with drainage. On 10 September 1898 Roker Park was officially opened by Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, the first match at Roker Park was a friendly against Liverpool which Sunderland won 1–0, with Jim Leslie scoring the stadiums first ever goal. The Roker End was concreted in 1912, and by 1913 the capacity had risen to 50,000, the work on the new Main Stand nearly bankrupted the club. By this time the capacity of Roker Park was 60,000. More work continued in the 1930s and in 1936 the Clock Stand was rebuilt, the 114 m long structure was officially opened by Lady Raine, whose husband was Sir Walter Raine, the Chairman of Sunderland AFC at the time. A bomb landed in the middle of the pitch during the Second World War, in 1952, Roker Park was fitted with floodlights, being only the second ground in the country to do so after Arsenals Highbury stadium. The lights were only an addition, and were replaced by permanent structures at the end of the season after proving to be a success. When England hosted the 1966 World Cup, improvements were made to the Clock Stand, involving the addition of seats, during the 1970s, there were even more improvements to Roker Park. These improvements included installing underground sprinklers, upgrading the floodlights to European Standard Lux Value, installing electronic crowd monitoring systems, in the 1980s, with a downturn in the clubs fortunes, Roker Park started to decline. The capacity was reduced following the report in the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989. The site was too confined for expansion so chairman Bob Murray decided to look for a site for a new stadium, instead, five years later in 1997, Sunderland moved to the Stadium of Light, in nearby Monkwearmouth, on the site of the closed Monkwearmouth Colliery

22.
Bradford
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Bradford /ˈbrædfərd/ is in the Metropolitan Borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, in the foothills of the Pennines 8.6 miles west of Leeds, and 16 miles northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897. Following local government reform in 1974, city status was bestowed upon the metropolitan borough. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Bradford rose to prominence during the 19th century as a centre of textile manufacture. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the earliest industrialised settlements, the textile sector in Bradford fell into decline from the mid-20th century. However, Bradford has faced challenges to the rest of the post-industrial area of Northern England, including deindustrialisation, social unrest. It was recorded as Bradeford in 1086, after an uprising in 1070, during William the Conquerors Harrying of the North, the manor of Bradford was laid waste and is described as such in the Domesday Book of 1086. It then became part of the Honour of Pontefract given to Ilbert de Lacy for service to the Conqueror, there is evidence of a castle in the time of the Lacys. The manor then passed to the Earl of Lincoln, John of Gaunt, The Crown and, ultimately, by the middle ages Bradford, had become a small town centred on Kirkgate, Westgate and Ivegate. In 1316 there is mention of a mill, a soke mill where all the manor corn was milled. During the Wars of the Roses the inhabitants sided with House of Lancaster, Edward IV granted the right to hold two annual fairs and from this time the town began to prosper. In the reign of Henry VIII Bradford exceeded Leeds as a manufacturing centre, Bradford grew slowly over the next two-hundred years as the woollen trade gained in prominence. During the Civil War the town was garrisoned for the Parliamentarians, Sir Thomas Fairfax took the command of the garrison and marched to meet the Duke of Newcastle but was defeated. The Parliamentarians retreated to Bradford and the Royalists set up headquarters at Bolling Hall from where the town was besieged leading to its surrender, the Civil War caused a decline in industry but after the accession of William and Mary in 1689 prosperity began to return. The launch of manufacturing in the early 18th century marked the start of the development while new canal. In 1801, Bradford was a market town of 6,393 people. Bradford was thus not much bigger than nearby Keighley and was smaller than Halifax. This small town acted as a hub for three nearby townships – Manningham, Bowling and Great and Little Horton, which were separated from the town by countryside

23.
Lancashire County Rugby Football Union
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In addition it is the county that has won the county championship on most occasions. Club history precedes that of county rugby football, the first match arranged for the county of Lancashire took place in 1870, at Leeds against Yorkshire. This match was known as the Battle of the Roses and was considered the blue ribbon of Northern rugby football. To be selected to represent the county was an honour bestowed long before the foundation of the Lancashire RFU, from 1870 to 1881 the government and arrangement of county matches in Lancashire vested in Manchester Football Club. Though self-appointed, Manchester was recognised as the authority by the other great Lancashire club, a movement of emerging new clubs, headed by W. Bell, the honorary secretary of the Broughton Football Club, had an objective to secure a voice in the selection of county teams. Bell was supported by a committee consisting of, G. C. Lindsay, A. M. Crook, F. C, notably, the Manchester Club did not take part, but a resolution to form the Lancashire Football Union was agreed. The initial committee had W. Bell as its honorary secretary, two county matches were arranged altogether versus the Midland Counties and Lanarkshire. It was agreed the president, a vice-president, the hon, also, all Home County matches would be played on the ground of the Manchester Football Club. The first officers and clubs elected to represent the newly formed Lancashire County Football Club were, PRESIDENT, James MacLaren, SECRETARY AND TREASURER, W. Grave, Esq. COMMITTEE, Manchester, Liverpool, Broughton, Cheetham, Preston, Manchester Rangers, Rochdale Hornets, Oldham, Swinton, the first match was versus the Midland Counties, played at Coventry on 26 March 1882. Albert Neilson Hornby became president after James MacLaren resigned the office on 1 October 1884, Lancashire, led by Edward Temple Gurdon, won by a try, gained by Vincent Slater. In February 1889 it was proposed that the county shall be divided out into five districts each with three representatives, removing club based representation on the committee, Lancashire won the 1890-91 season of the County Championship, despite the county championship having been organised by arch-rivals, Yorkshire. Lancashire won all their games with not a goal being scored against them in any of the county matches they played and they then played the Rest of England, on 18 April 1891. In 1891-92 Lancashire were defeated by Yorkshire who therefore wrested the championship of England from Lancashire, the county side has reached the County Championship Final 36 times, winning the title on 23 occasions. Lancashire have played in ten of the past twelve finals and has won seven of ten finals. From 1984 all Championship finals were played at Twickenham, amongst the clubs falling within the Lancashire County Rugby Football Union are several clubs of national renown including Preston Grasshoppers, Fylde, Waterloo, Liverpool, Orrell. Since 1971 there has been a county club competition called the Lancashire Cup

24.
Old Trafford
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Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. It is about 0.5 miles from Old Trafford Cricket Ground, future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise the capacity to around 95,000. The stadiums record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town and it also hosted football matches at the 2012 Summer Olympics, including womens international football for the first time in its history. Before 1902, Manchester United were known as Newton Heath, during time they first played their football matches at North Road. However, both grounds were blighted by wretched conditions, the pitches ranging from gravel to marsh, while Bank Street suffered from clouds of fumes from its neighbouring factories. Including the purchase of the land, the construction of the stadium was originally to have cost £60,000 all told. The subsidy would have come to the sum of £10,000, however, despite guarantees for the loan coming from the club itself and two local breweries, both chaired by club chairman John Henry Davies, the Cheshire Lines Committee turned the proposal down. The CLC had planned to build a new station adjacent to the new stadium, the station – Trafford Park – was eventually built, but further down the line than originally planned. The CLC later constructed a modest station with one timber-built platform immediately adjacent to the stadium and it was initially named United Football Ground, but was renamed Old Trafford Football Ground in early 1936. It was served on match days only by a service of steam trains from Manchester Central railway station. It is currently known as Manchester United Football Ground, construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester and development was completed in late 1909. The stadium hosted its game on 19 February 1910, with United playing host to Liverpool. However, the side were unable to provide their fans with a win to mark the occasion. A journalist at the game reported the stadium as the most handsomest, the most spacious, as a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed. Before the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, the FA Cup Final was hosted by a number of different grounds around England including Old Trafford. The first of these was the 1911 FA Cup Final replay between Bradford City and Newcastle United, after the tie at Crystal Palace finished as a no-score draw after extra time. Bradford won 1–0, the goal scored by Jimmy Speirs, in a match watched by 58,000 people, the grounds second FA Cup Final was the 1915 final between Sheffield United and Chelsea. Sheffield United won the match 3–0 in front of nearly 50,000 spectators, most of whom were in the military, leading to the final being nicknamed the Khaki Cup Final

25.
Brunton Park
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Brunton Park is a football stadium and the home of Carlisle United F. C. It is situated in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria and has a capacity for the 2011/12 season of 18,202. Brunton Parks grandstand burned down in 1953 and the stadium flooded completely in 2005, Brunton Park is split into four separate stands, Warwick Road End, East Stand, Main Stand and the Petteril End, which remains closed unless exceptionally large crowds are in attendance. Brunton Park is the largest football stadium in England which is not all-seated, Carlisle United plan to move away from Brunton Park in the near future to a 12,000 capacity all-seater stadium. Before the 2012/13 season Cumbria County Council inspected Brunton Park and they deemed that certain areas of the stadium were unsafe, as a result, they reduced the capacity to 17,001 for the forthcoming season. In 1904 Shaddongate United became Carlisle United F. C. an association football club who played at the Millholme Bank ground to the west of Carlisle. The ground was too small for their purposes and they sometimes used the Rugby Ground which would later be the adjacent neighbour of Brunton Park. In 1905 United joined the Lancashire Combination league and required larger facilities so moved to Devonshire Park, in 1909 they were evicted from premises by the Duke of Devonshire and moved eastwards to establish Brunton Park, the clubs home ever since. In 1953 the original wooden grandstand which sat where the Main Stand now sits was burned to the ground in a cause by an electrical fault. The sale of local player Geoff Twentyman to Liverpool for £12,500 enabled the club to rebuild the stadium into what is the West Stand today. 2005 On the evening of Friday 7 January 2005, the rivers Eden, Caldew, the worst affected area was Warwick Road, where Brunton Park is situated. For the following six weeks Carlisle United were forced to play their games at Christie Park in Morecambe while repair work took place. United were still able, however, to reach the playoffs in the Conference that season,2015 The Stadium was severely flooded following Storm Desmond. It caused the team to play fixtures at Prestons Deepdale Ground, Blackburns Ewood Park, other floods In November 2009 and November 2015, half the pitch and the match day car park were flooded but the stadium wasnt damaged. The match day car park is flooded a least once every year, the West Stand, is a 6,000 capacity mixed terraced and seated area. It is regarded as the stand at Brunton Park and on average receives the highest attendance of home fans. The stand accommodates the offices and changing rooms as well as media facilities for radio. The lower tier is mainly a paddock terrace which runs the length of the pitch, the home and away dugouts are situated in front of this stand with the tunnel dividing it through the centre

26.
Lansdowne Road
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The Lansdowne Road Stadium was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that was primarily for used rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the construction of the Aviva Stadium, the stadium took its name from the adjacent street called Landsdowne Road. The stadium was situated in the neighbourhood of Ballsbridge in the citys Dublin 4 area, the stadium had convenient public transport links as the Lansdowne Road station of the Dublin Area Rapid Transit rail system is adjacent to the site and passed directly underneath the West Stand. The stadium was named after the road, which in turn was named after William Petty-FitzMaurice. The Marquis was also the Earl of Shelburne, and nearby Shelbourne Road is also named after him, the stadium had a total capacity of 49,250, with 25,000 seats. However, competitive football matches could not use the entire capacity because the stands at both ends of the ground were standing-only terraces. FIFA and UEFA both mandate that international matches be played in all-seated venues, a temporary capacity of 36,000 was the result for competitive soccer. World Rugby, known as the International Rugby Board when the current Aviva Stadium opened, for non-competitive international football matches, the FIFA/UEFA all-seated mandate does not apply. At the IRFU ground, Irish rugby and football matches were played. Leinster also used the ground on a number of occasions when crowd size meant their home of Donnybrook was not large enough. In 1999 and 2003, Lansdowne Road played host to the Heineken Cup final, since 1990, Lansdowne was also a regular host of the FAI Cup Final. The stadium had also hosted concerts from artists such as Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams, Oasis, U2. The Lansdowne Road Stadium was the brainchild of Henry Dunlop, the organiser of the first All Ireland Athletics Championships, Dunlop, a decorated track walker and engineering graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, founded the Irish Champion Athletic Club in 1871. After an initial meeting at Trinity College, the Provost of the College banned any further meeting on campus, Dunlop had to find a new home for his sporting endeavours. Writing in 1921, Dunlop stated, I was therefore forced to look for another plot, on the tennis club grounds the first tennis championship was held long before Fitzwilliam meetings. Dunlop founded Lansdowne Football Club in 1872 and that club has played rugby union ever since at the grounds, being one of the most prominent and successful clubs in Leinster. Wanderers Football Club, founded in 1869, joined Lansdowne at the grounds later, the two clubs were tenants since that time, and also use the new Aviva stadium. Some 300 cartloads of soil from a trench beneath the railway were used to raise the ground, Dunlop charged the IRFU £5 and half of any profits over £50 after expenses

27.
Ulster Rugby
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Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Pro12 and the European Rugby Champions Cup, Ulster play their home games at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast which has a capacity of 18,196. The province plays primarily in white and the team crest features a red hand within two rugby balls, the red hand being taken from the flag of Ulster. Ulster A competes in the British and Irish Cup, Ulster won the Heineken Cup in 1999, the Celtic Cup in 2003 and the Celtic League in 2006. The Ulster Branch of the IRFU was founded in 1879, since then, Ulster has been arguably the most successful of the four Irish provinces having won the Inter-Provincial Championship a record 26 times. In the amateur rugby union era, Ulster regularly played international touring sides from the southern hemisphere and their most impressive performance was in the 1984/5 season when they defeated Andrew Slacks Grand Slam Wallabies. In the 1998–99 season, Ulster became the first Irish province to win the Heineken Cup and they beat French side US Colomiers 21–6 in the final at Lansdowne Road. The Ulster squad contained many part-time players two of whom, Andy Matchett and Stephen McKinty, started the final and this Ulster side was coached by Harry Williams and managed by John Kinnear. From 2001 to 2004, the Ulster team was coached by Alan Solomons and it was during this time that Ulster fully embraced the professional era. Alan Solomons coached Ulster to an unbeaten home record in the Heineken Cup. In the 2003–04 season, Ulster finished second in the Celtic League, despite an initially poor start to the season, the two extended Ulsters unbeaten home record in Europe to four years. However, inconsistent late form from Ulster, combined with a run from Leinster. In Ulsters final match against the Ospreys with Ulster one point behind, David Humphreys kicked a 40-metre drop goal to clinch the game, Ulster started the 2006–07 season in fine form racking up a number of victories including a 30–3 thrashing of Heineken Cup contenders Toulouse. The team began the 2007–08 season with a run of form. Mark McCall resigned in November following Ulsters embarrassing 32–14 home defeat to Gloucester in the round of the 2007–08 Heineken Cup. Assistant coach Steve Williams took temporary charge of the team, under Williams, Ulster had some initial success, however several defeats left them firmly rooted to the bottom of the Celtic League and out of Europe. In December, former Leinster and Scotland Head Coach Matt Williams was named Mark McCalls successor as Ulsters Head Coach. He took charge at the beginning of February 2008, but despite some improved performances, he failed to turn the season around, on 21 May 2009, Matt Williams resigned as Ulsters Head Coach after finishing 8th in the Celtic League that season

28.
Kingspan Stadium
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The Kingspan Stadium is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby, with the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and it features an ornate arch at the entrance that was erected as a war memorial for those players killed in World War I and World War II. Prior to 1923, both Ulster and Ireland played games at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in Belfast, Ravenhill has been the annual venue for the Ulster Schools Cup final since 1924, which is traditionally contested on St Patricks Day. The stadium is traditionally the venue for the Ulster Towns Cup, Ravenhill has hosted 18 international matches, including pool games in both the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups. The most recent Ireland international played at the stadium was on 24 August 2007 against Italy in a match for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Before that, Scotland was the last visitor in the 1954 Five Nations Championship, Ravenhill also hosted the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship final in which New Zealand defeated South Africa. Ravenhill hosted memorable Ulster games in the Heineken Cup, Ulster beat Toulouse 15-13 at Ravenhill in the quarter-finals of the 1998-99 Heineken Cup. Ravenhill then hosted the 1998-99 Heineken Cup semi-final in which Ulster defeated Stade Français 33-27, the most memorable moment in that game was when out half David Humphreys ran from the Ulster 10-metre line to score a try. On 5 June 2014, Ulster signed a 10-year contract with the Kingspan Group for the rights to Ravenhill. On 30 May 2015, the 2015 Pro12 Grand Final was played at the Kingspan Stadium, glasgow Warriors beat Munster Rugby 31-13. On 11 November 2016, the Barbarians played a match against Fiji at the Kingspan Stadium, the new stand at Ravenhill was officially opened on 9 October 2009 by First Minister Peter Robinson, before a match between Ulster and Bath Rugby. The stand has however been in use since the first home match of the 2009-2010 season, the stand is on the Mount Merrion side of the ground, and consists of a terraced area, over 500 premium seats, and 20 corporate boxes. The terrace area is now covered by a roof for the first time in the stadiums history. The cost of the project is approximately £4.5 million, and has been funded by a mixture of public-sector funding, sales of tickets and boxes. In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland, Ulster Rugby received £14. 5m, which was used to redevelop Ravenhill and expand its capacity to from 12,000 to 18,000. In 2012, Ulster Rugby confirmed that three new stands would be built at Ravenhill, with work commencing in late 2012, two new stands at the Memorial and Aquinas ends of the stadium were completed while the main stand was demolished and rebuilt. The major refurbishment was completed in April 2014

29.
Gosforth
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Gosforth is an affluent, well established area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, situated to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne and it has a population of 23,620. There are two wards that bear the Gosforth name, East Gosforth and West Gosforth, and modern-day Gosforth includes other wards such as Parklands. Richard Welford notes that the names of North and South Gosforth come from the north and south of the River Ouse, in 1777, Gosforth contained 7 townships of North Gosforth, South Gosforth, Coxlodge, Kenton, Fawdon, East Brunton and West Brunton. By order of the Local Government Board on 20 September 1872, after the 1894 Local Government Act, it became the South Gosforth Urban District Council. A year later, by a Northumberland County Council order dated 14 March 1895, on 9 September 1903, an inquiry was held into the Gosforth Scheme, but the proposal was refused. The parishes of Coxlodge and South Gosforth were amalgamated into the parish of Gosforth in 1908, Gosforth then extended its boundaries after the County of Northumberland Review Order 1935, to include part of Castle Ward Rural District. This comprised parts of East Brunton, Fawdon and North Gosforth civil parishes, the Gosforth Urban District Council was finally abolished on 1 April 1974 to become part of the City of Newcastle Metropolitan Borough Council. In the 19th century, Gosforth was the location of a number of collieries, including Gosforth, Gosforth Colliery was located in South Gosforth, while Coxlodge Colliery was west of the Great North Road. Coxlodge Colliery comprised three pits, the Bower Pit, the Regent or Engine Pit, where the Regent Centre now stands, the modern-day centre of Gosforth, straddling the Great North Road, originated in 1826 as a settlement known for several decades as Bulman Village. A stone bearing the name Bulman Village survives and was incorporated in the façade of a later building, the Blacksmiths Arms public house on Gosforth High Street stands on the site of the original blacksmiths forge. At the 2001 census there were 23,620 people living in Gosforth, in the 19th century Gosforths population was largely deemed by the coal trade. In 1801 there were 1,385 inhabitants, most of whom lived in Kenton, in 1831 the population had risen to 3,546, partly due to the opening of the Fawdon and Coxlodge collieries. Between 1831 and 1871 the population grew by a very small amount to 3,723. There have been a number of finds in Gosforth, with the earliest piece being a prehistoric flint flake that was found in 1959. In 1863 a 2nd-century Greek Colonial coin was found in a garden in Bulman Village, a Roman altar was found in North Gosforth. It has a business complex called the Regent Centre, which houses organisations including HM Revenue & Customs. Gosforths main high school is Gosforth Academy, and some of the schools in Gosforth are Westfield School

30.
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
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The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, sometimes abbreviated CURUFC, is the rugby union club of the University of Cambridge. The team plays Oxford University RFC in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham Stadium every December, Cambridge players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest. Many have gone on to represent their country and the British and Irish Lions, whilst at Cambridge University James Bevan became the first captain of the Wales national rugby union team. Football is believed to have introduced to Cambridge University in 1839 by Trinity College fresher Albert Pell. Pell had matriculated at Cambridge after going up from Rugby School, Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club was officially established in 1872, around three years after the Oxford rugby club was founded. The first Varsity match was contested between the two teams on 10 February 1872, the Cambridge team was led out by captain Isaac Cowley Lambert, wearing pink jerseys with a monogram on the left breast. Played away at the Park in Oxford, Cambridge lost by a goal to nil. CURUFC officials helped to draw up the laws of the game that were adopted by the Rugby Football Union when it was established in 1871, Cambridge became a Constituent Body of the Union in 1872, a status which the club still holds today. In 1874, Cambridge provided their first international player directly from the club, the following former players were selected for the British and Irish Lions touring squads whilst playing for Cambridge University. P. Oxford v Cambridge, The Story of the University Rugby Match

31.
Grange Road, Cambridge
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Grange Road is a long straight road in western Cambridge, England. It stretches north–south, meeting Madingley Road at a T-junction to the north, Kings College School, associated with Kings College, is in West Road, just off Grange Road. The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club is on Grange Road, the Cambridge University Real Tennis Club is also located here near Burrells Walk. The Cambridge University Library is south of Burrells Walk and north of Kings College School, tyndale House, an independent theological library dedicated to biblical studies, is located in Selwyn Gardens off the southern end of Grange Road to the west. The road is almost exactly one mile long and dead straight and it has one kink, around what was a Cambridge fellows billiards room when the road was built

32.
Twickenham Stadium
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Twickenham Stadium is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, south west London, England. Owned by the body of rugby union in England, the Rugby Football Union. The RFU headquarters are based in the stadium and it is the second largest stadium in the UK, after Wembley Stadium, and the fourth largest in Europe. Twickenham is often referred to as the home of rugby union, the stadium, owned and operated by the RFU, hosts rugby union fixtures year round. It is the home of the English rugby union team, who nearly all their home games at the stadium. Twickenham hosts Englands home Six Nations matches, as well as inbound touring teams from the Southern Hemisphere, apart from its relationship with the national team, Twickenham is the venue for a number of other domestic and international rugby union matches. It is also the venue for the final of the Aviva Premiership as well as the season-opening London Double Header, Big Game, anglo-Welsh Cup, Heineken Cup and Champions Cup finals have also been held here in the past. Sold out Tests against New Zealand and South Africa at Crystal Palace saw the RFU realise the benefit of owning their own ground. Committee member William Williams and treasurer William Cail led the way to purchasing a 10.25 acre market garden in Twickenham in 1907 for £5,500 12s 6d, the first stands were constructed the following year. Before the ground was purchased, it was used to grow cabbages, after further expenditure on roads, the first game, between Harlequins v. Richmond, was played on 2 October 1909, and the first international, England v. Wales, on 15 January 1910. At the time of the English-Welsh game, the stadium had a capacity of 20,000 spectators. During World War I the ground was used for cattle, horse, king George V unveiled a war memorial in 1921. In 1926, the first Middlesex Sevens took place at the ground, in 1927 the first Varsity Match took place at Twickenham for the first time. On 19 March 1938, BBC Television broadcast the England – Scotland match from Twickenham, in 1959, to mark 50 years of the ground, a combined side of England and Wales beat Ireland and Scotland by 26 points to 17. Coming into the last match of the 1988 season, against the Irish, the Twickenham crowd had only seen one solitary England try in the previous two years, and at half-time against Ireland they were 0–3 down. During the second half a remarkable transformation took place and England started playing a game many had doubted they were capable of producing. A 0–3 deficit was turned into a 35–3 win, with England scoring six tries and this day also saw the origins of the adoption of the negro spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot as a terrace song. In the 35–3 win against Ireland, three of Englands tries were scored by Chris Oti, a player who had made a reputation for himself that season as a speedster on the left wing

33.
Oxford University RFC
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The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham, Oxford University RFC was founded in 1869, fifteen months before the creation of the Rugby Football Union. The first Varsity Match was played in February 1872 in Oxford at The Parks, in 1874 it was decided that the game be played on a neutral ground. The very first international player to be capped whilst at Oxford was Cecil Boyle, the record for most appearances in a Varsity Match for Oxford is held by Lewis Anderson who has played in six matches between 2010 and 2015, all won by Oxford

34.
Cardiff RFC
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Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens and they built a reputation as one of the great clubs in world rugby largely through a series of wins against international touring sides. Both South Africa and New Zealand have been beaten by Cardiff, through its history Cardiff RFC have provided more players to the Welsh national side and British and Irish Lions than any other Welsh club. The first recognised team to begin playing rugby in Cardiff was Glamorgan Football Club, the team was formed by a group of young men during the 1873/74 season, after a circular letter was sent to interested parties by S. Campell Cory. Playing under the Cheltenham College rules, Glamorgan FC had increased its membership to sixty six by November 1874,1874 saw Glamorgans first away game, against Cowbridge Grammar School, and by 1875 the team played its first encounter with Newport. Of the three teams, Glamorgan and Wanderers became the most notable, but both teams rarely travelled, and both had difficulty beating the now established clubs of Newport and Swansea. The supporters of both clubs started an agitation in the summer of 1876 for the two clubs to amalgamate, to give Cardiff town a chance of beating the neighbouring teams. On Friday 22 September 1876 members of the Glamorgan and Wanderers clubs met at the Swiss Hall in Queen Street, Cardiff and decided to make a single club, the first team captain was Donaldson Selby of Glamorgan and the vice-captain W. D. Phillips of Wanderers. Cardiff FC played their first fixture on 2 December 1876, versus Newport at Wentloog Marshes, in 1881, Cardiff beat Llanelli to win the South Wales Challenge Cup, though the tournament was scrapped soon after due to persistent crowd trouble. In 1881, Newport based sports administrator, Richard Mullock, formed the first Welsh international rugby team, despite the team losing heavily to England, Mullock had chosen four players from Cardiff to represent the team, club captain William David Phillips, vice-captain B. B. Mann, Barry Girling and Leonard Watkins, a reflection on the clubs importance at the time, a month later, on 12 March 1881, Cardiff RFC was one of the eleven clubs present at the formation of the Welsh Rugby Union in Neath. A notable early player was Frank Hancock, a skilful centre, Hancock first played for Cardiff due to an injury to a first regular. The system was adopted by the Welsh national team and the seven backs. Cardiff RFC and Hancock were jointly recognised by the International Rugby Board in 2011 for this innovation with induction to the IRB Hall of Fame, in 1898, Cardiff were unofficial club champions of Wales for the first time. One year later, centre Gwyn Nicholls became the first Cardiff player to play for the British and Irish Lions, Nicholls would also go on to captain Wales between 1902 and 1906. In 1904, Cardiff players fly-half Percy Bush, centre Rhys Gabe and Arthur Boxer Harding all went on the Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand. Bush scored in the first and second test against Australia, as Nicholls had, and thanks to his tries and goal-kicking during the first three Tests, finished as the top Test points scorer. In 1905, there were four Cardiff players in the Wales team that famously beat New Zealand, Harding, Nicholls, Bush, Gabe and Bert Winfield, after an eight-year wait, Cardiff also managed to win the unofficial Welsh club championship in 1906 and 1907

35.
Cardiff Arms Park
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Cardiff Arms Park, also known as The Arms Park and the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park for sponsorship reasons from September 2014, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, the Arms Park also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995–96 and the following year in 1996–97. The history of the ground begins with the first stands appearing for spectators in the ground in 1881–1882. Originally the Arms Park had a ground to the north. By 1969, the ground had been demolished to make way for the present day rugby ground to the north. The site also has a green to the north of the rugby ground, which is used by Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club. The National Stadium also hosted music concerts including Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones. The Cardiff Arms Park site was called the Great Park. The hotel was built by Sir Thomas Morgan, during the reign of Charles I, Cardiff Arms Park was named after this hotel. From 1803, the Cardiff Arms Hotel and the Park had become the property of the Bute family, the Arms Park soon became a popular place for sporting events, and by 1848, Cardiff Cricket Club was using the site for its cricket matches. However, by 1878, Cardiff Arms Hotel had been demolished, the 3rd Marquess of Bute stipulated that the ground could only be used for recreational purposes. At that time Cardiff Arms Park had a ground to the north. 1881–2 saw the first stands for spectators, they held 300 spectators, the architect was Archibald Leitch, famous for designing Ibrox Stadium and Old Trafford, amongst others. In 1890, new standing areas were constructed along the length of the ground. By 1912, the Cardiff Football Ground, as it was known, had a new south stand and temporary stands on the north. The south stand was covered, while the terrace was initially without a roof. The improvements were funded by the Welsh Rugby Union

36.
Llanelli RFC
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Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 Since the regionalisation of Welsh rugby Llanelli are now a feeder club to the Scarlets regional team. The club began the 2008–09 season at their home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli. Sosban Fach is a nickname of Llanelli RFC, Sosban Fach is the name of a Welsh song, the team colours are scarlet and white. Llanelli RFC was founded on 11 November 1875 when a group of local gentlemen met at the Athenaeum in Llanelli to form a football club. The first recorded match was played on 1 January 1876, against Cambria, the result was a draw, but Llanelli were declared winners as they had grounded the ball defensively fewer times than their opponents. Their second match was against Swansea on 5 February 1876, another draw, during this early period the team played in blue shirts and blue caps at Peoples Park. Llanelli RFC moved to Stradey Park in 1879, switching their colours to blue, the team switched their colours three more times before 1884, adopting black, then rose before switching to red and chocolate quarters. In 1884 Llanelli played an Irish XV who stopped off in the town and their first major trophies came in 1884 and 1886 with the South Wales Challenge Cup, the forerunner of the modern Welsh Cup. December 1888 saw the team beat a touring New Zealand Natives team by 3–0 with a goal from Harry Bowen. The team claimed their first full international scalp in 1908 when they beat Australia 8–3 and this would be the first of many famous victories over touring international sides. Players that wore the Scarlet jersey in this era included Albert Jenkins. After the war Lewis Jones was one of the stars of the game and he was capped by Wales aged just 18 in 1950, and was instrumental in their Grand Slam win that year. However just two later, he switched codes from the then amateur rugby union to the professional rugby league. Success was however not away from Stradey for long, a victory over Australia came in 1967 and the club was about to enter what many would argue was its strongest era. 9 –3 is a poem by Welsh comedian and singer Max Boyce, Llanelli took a 6–0 lead through a converted try but New Zealand struck back to make it 6–3. A long distance Andy Hill penalty ensured Llanelli emerged victors by 9–3, the poem is best known for the line The day the pubs ran dry, as huge celebrations followed and many pubs in the town sold out of all alcoholic drinks. The next notable period for Llanelli RFC was during the late 1980s, with players such as Ieuan Evans amongst the squad, Llanelli won the Welsh Cup five times in eight years between 1985 and 1993 including in consecutive seasons in 1991,1992 and 1993. They achieved their most recent success against international opponents when they beat Australia, the late 1990s and early years of the 21st century also produced many Welsh internationals including Rupert Moon, Ricky Evans, Wayne Proctor, Scott Quinnell and Stephen Jones

37.
Stradey Park
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Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams, the stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800. With the Scarlets having moved to Parc y Scarlets, Stradey Park was demolished in 2010 and is to be replaced with housing, the ground originally opened in 1879 for use by Llanelli RFC. In 1887, Stradey Park was chosen to host its first international rugby union match, Stradey Park was selected as part of the 1887 Home Nations Championship, with the opening home match for Wales being against England. The adjacent cricket ground was in condition, so the match was moved there along with the entire crowd. Four years later, Stradey Park was given chance to host the national side when they were again selected to host the Home Nations Championship. In the final match, Stradey Park played host to Ireland and again temporary stands were erected, on this occasion there were no problems and the ground successfully hosted an international match on 7 March 1891. Two years later, Stradey Park was the venue of the 1893 Home Nations Championship. Wales, under the captaincy of Welsh rugby legend Arthur Gould, beat the Irish team by a try scored by Goulds brother. The score not only gave Wales the win but also saw Wales lift the Triple Crown for the very first time in the countrys history, the ground has seen many memorable games including the defeat of Australia in 1967 and the All Blacks in 1972. It also hosted the match between Argentina and Samoa during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, one rugby league game was held at Stradey Park. This was between Wales and Lebanon in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup on 2 November 2000. Due to the owners, Llanelli RFU Ltd. having financial difficulties following the game turning professional. The ground was repurchased by Llanelli RFU Ltd. in 2005, on 24 October 2008, the Scarlets defeated Bristol in the last ever game to be held at the ground by 28 points to nil, a crowd of over 10,800 witnessing the event. When the Scarlets regional side was formed in 2004, it was decided that they would play the majority of their fixtures at Stradey Park. Llanelli RFC continued to play their matches at the ground. The stadium was also host for the Llanelli A. F. C, UEFA Cup games in the 2006/07 season. The last ever game to be played at Stradey Park was played on 24 October 2008, in an EDF Energy Cup match between the Scarlets and Bristol, the Scarlets won 27–0

38.
County Cricket Ground, Northampton
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The County Ground, is a cricket venue on Wantage Road in the Abington area of Northampton, England, UK. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, Northamptonshire played their first match at the ground in 1886 before competing in the Minor Counties Championship competition between 1895 and 1904, winning the title three times. They were accepted into the County Championship and played their first first-class match at the ground on 5 June 1905, Northamptonshire drew with Leicestershire in a rain-hit match that only permitted 75 overs of play. The County Ground hosted two 1999 Cricket World Cup matches, south Africas victory over Sri Lanka and Bangladeshs first ever World Cup victory against eventual finalists Pakistan by 62 runs. Northampton Town F. C. also known as The Cobblers played their games for 97 years at the County Ground between 1897 and 1994. The ground only had three sides with a side due to the size of the cricket field. The team began in the Northants League working upward through various leagues before being elected to The Football League in 1920, the team played in all four main divisions during their tenure at the County Ground. Between 1958 and 1965 the team rose from Division 4 all the way to the top tier, the First Division, subsequently, the team then fell into decline, being relegated to the Fourth Division in 1970. On 7 February 1970, Northampton Town played Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round at the County Ground and lost 8-2, from the 1970s to the 1990s team occupied Division 3 and Division 4 with the team finishing at the bottom of the league in 1994. However, they stayed in the league as the stadium of Kidderminster Harriers, by this stage, however, construction work on the new all-seater Sixfields Stadium had started. The new stadium was still under construction when the 1994-95 season began, the Cobblers played their last game there on 12 October 1994, and then moved to Sixfields, a four sided stadium more suitable for football. Sir Elton John played the first ever concert at the County Ground on 25 June 2011, the show lasted for over two and a half hours. Sir Elton was supported by Ed Drewett While the two clubs shared the ground, the cricket clubs address was Wantage Road whereas the football clubs address was Abington Avenue. List of cricket grounds in England and Wales

Tom Croft made his debut in 2006 after coming though the club's academy

Geordan Murphy, pictured in 2012, played 322 games for Leicester between 1997 and 2013. He is the most decorated player in the club's history with 8 Premiership titles, 2 European titles and 2 Anglo-Welsh cups.